On September 26, the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea issued a decree announcing an amnesty starting from October 1.

Immediately afterwards, on September 27, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hee arrived in Beijing by special plane for a four-day official visit.

Behind this series of actions, there are both domestic political considerations and complex diplomatic intentions.

North Korea¡¯s decision to carry out amnesty at the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Labour Party is clearly far-reaching.

Amnesty is not new in North Korea, with similar measures being implemented during the party¡¯s 70th anniversary in 2015 and the early days of Kim Jong Un¡¯s rule in 2012.

From a domestic perspective, amnesty is an important means for Kim Jong-un to shape the image of a leader and unite the hearts of the people. By releasing the prisoners, he hopes to send a signal of tolerance and self-confidence to the country and create a harmonious social atmosphere for the upcoming military parade. However, North Korea's current economic difficulties and international sanctions pressure will not be fundamentally alleviated by the amnesty. Problems such as food shortages and energy crises still plague the country, and amnesty is more about political symbols than actual changes.

At the same time, this move also sent a signal of goodwill to the international community.

North Korea has long been criticized on human rights issues, and the amnesty can be seen as a response to an attempt to improve its international image. This low-cost, high-return diplomatic means is in line with North Korea's consistent operating logic.

Shortly after the announcement of the amnesty, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hee flew to Beijing.

This is her first solo visit to China since she took office in 2022 and the second in a month to visit China.The outreach is widely believed to focus on preparing for a higher level of China-North Korea interaction, which could involve multiple topics.

First of all, Choi Shan-hui's trip may be to implement the consensus reached by Kim Jong Un and Chinese leaders during previous talks in Beijing and ensure that the cooperation mechanisms between the two countries in economic, trade, political and other fields can be implemented.

In the face of sanctions, China¡¯s support is undoubtedly an important basis for its economic development.

Secondly, the timing of this visit is very sensitive.

On October 10, North Korea will hold the 80th anniversary parade, an important stage for North Korea to show its political and military strength. North Korea has invited several leaders to attend, Vietnamese leaders confirmed the presence, and Russia will send Medvedev's representatives to attend, but the specifications of Chinese presence have not yet been clear.

In addition, the DPRK may also take this opportunity to communicate with China in the early stage on the possibility of dialogue between the United States and the DPRK.

There are rumors that South Korea plans to invite Kim Jong-un to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Coalition (APEC) summit in Changzhou in November.

If it does, this will be the first visit by a North Korean leader to South Korea in history and will be of great diplomatic significance.

However, this move also has huge risks. North Korea needs to coordinate its position with China in advance to ensure that its diplomatic strategy does not get out of control.

From amnesty to foreign minister's visit to China, North Korea's operational logic is clearly visible: internally, rallying people's hearts through political means; Externally, strive for more initiative through diplomatic interaction.

At present, the complex situation in Northeast Asia is changing, the US-DPRK relationship may be relaxed, and South Korea's policy towards the DPRK is also adjusted. In this context, North Korea hopes to struggle for more strategic space for itself through close interaction with China.